All Pumped Up: Roush Supercharger on a 2011 Ford F150 5.0L

Adding a Roush Supercharger to a Brand-New F-150 5.0

1. Stillen pulled the factory air intake, intake manifold, and front accessories to prepare for the supercharger installation. Roush included a new idler pulley and bracket to keep proper belt tension around the supercharger pulley, but a couple of the 5.0's accessory-mounting bosses were in the way. A cutoff wheel chopped them to the proper length.

Ford’s release of its new 5.0 V-8 has set the aftermarket on its rear trying to play catch up. We have had our hands on a number of F-series trucks with the entertaining Coyote engine and it’s all we could do to wipe the smiles off our face. Can it be made better? You bet it can. Enter the Roush Performance calibrated supercharger kit (PN: 421244, $6,499.99).

2. A number of items needed to be swapped onto the Roush intake elbow from the original before installation.

2. A number of items needed to be swapped onto the Roush intake elbow from the original be

Completely reworked for the 5.0L, the Roush R2300 TVS supercharger is a roots-type, positive displacement supercharger that features twin, four-lobe rotors. Combined with the newly redesigned air inlet and outlet ports, the unit delivers higher efficiency and operating speeds creating a smoother flow of air with less noise. Included in the kit are the supercharger unit, lower manifold with liquid intercooler, twin 60mm throttle body, cold-air induction with 100mm MAF tube, air to water intercooler with liquid pump, 47-pound injectors, zero heat range spark plugs, and all the brackets, fasteners, wiring, and clamps to make for as easy an installation as possible. We opted to head to Stillen in Costa Mesa, California, to let the performance pros handle the Rouscharger’s installation. Stillen sells and installs superchargers for all types of cars and trucks. Follow along as one of its performance specialists installed and dyno tested the Roush supercharger on a 2011 F-150 with the 5.0L. With a Roush-rating of 515 crank horsepower, we were excited at the possibility of wasted rear rubber!

3. Using a bit of oil to lubricate the O-rings, the Roush 47-pound injectors were popped into the locating holes in the stainless fuel rail.

3. Using a bit of oil to lubricate the O-rings, the Roush 47-pound injectors were popped i

4. A small corner of the cowl would not clear the supercharger body during engine rock on its rubber mounts. Following the directions, a mallet was used to smash the offending corner just enough to allow proper spacing.

4. A small corner of the cowl would not clear the supercharger body during engine rock on

5.Included in the Rousch kit was the R2300 supercharger housing, air-to-water intercooler, new fuel injectors, and cool-air intake.

5.Included in the Rousch kit was the R2300 supercharger housing, air-to-water intercooler,

6. The cast lower manifold with intercooler was dropped onto the engine using fresh gaskets included in the kit.

6. The cast lower manifold with intercooler was dropped onto the engine using fresh gasket

7. Once the fuel rail was put into position, the Roush TVS supercharger unit was bolted onto its new home and torqued to spec. The black powdercoat looked especially sharp on the casing.

7. Once the fuel rail was put into position, the Roush TVS supercharger unit was bolted on

8. It certainly would have been a bummer to get something in the supercharger inlet, so we bolted on the twin 60mm throttle body before anything bad could happen.

8. It certainly would have been a bummer to get something in the supercharger inlet, so we

9. Back on the front of the engine, the new idler pulley and bracket were bolted on. If the mounting bosses were not short enough, this part of the install would be the tattle tail.

9. Back on the front of the engine, the new idler pulley and bracket were bolted on. If th

10. Many of the original vacuum hoses were hooked up at this point, along with the fuel line and what little wiring was necessary.

10. Many of the original vacuum hoses were hooked up at this point, along with the fuel li

11. Roush designs all of its kits to be vehicle specific, but it was still interesting to see how all the puzzle pieces were going to fit. This bracket mounted the coolant reservoir for the intercooler on the passenger strut tower.

11. Roush designs all of its kits to be vehicle specific, but it was still interesting to

12. Holding the coolant was an injection-molded tank that came with its own factory-style cap.

12. Holding the coolant was an injection-molded tank that came with its own factory-style

13. All the pre-formed hoses for the coolant system were covered in abrasion-resistant sleeves and utilized original-style clamps for a seamless integration.

13. All the pre-formed hoses for the coolant system were covered in abrasion-resistant sle

14. A number of preformed brackets bolted together with the dual core air-to-water intercooler.

14. A number of preformed brackets bolted together with the dual core air-to-water interco

15. Bosch was sourced for the fluid pump and a rubber band clamp strapped the pump to the intercooler bracket.

15. Bosch was sourced for the fluid pump and a rubber band clamp strapped the pump to the

16. Using original holes in the bumper, the whole intercooler and pump unit dropped right behind the bumper's center opening to allow for the most air volume possible to pass through it.

16. Using original holes in the bumper, the whole intercooler and pump unit dropped right

17. It took some dexterous effort to get the formed hoses to travel through the core support correctly from the intercooler and pump, but we finally got it right and slipped the hoses onto the Roush lower manifold.

17. It took some dexterous effort to get the formed hoses to travel through the core suppo

18. Maximizing the breathing capabilities of the supercharger is a partially open cold-air intake box with a larger 100mm MAF intake tube and throttle-body inlet tube. It dropped directly in place of the original parts.

18. Maximizing the breathing capabilities of the supercharger is a partially open cold-air

19. Part of the process of the calibrated kit was the need to send the factory ECM to Roush for the proper run file to be uploaded. We overnighted the computer there and it was overnighted right back to us for the least amount of downtime.

19. Part of the process of the calibrated kit was the need to send the factory ECM to Rous

20. Underhood, the Ford was still sporting its original black color and lent a complementing backdrop to the black and machined appearance of the Roush supercharger. Perfectly menacing yet nearly stealthy.

20. Underhood, the Ford was still sporting its original black color and lent a complementi

21. Of course, the dyno is where we tell the tale. The 5.0L managed to put down 314.01 hp and 330.21 lb-ft of torque in stock form on our oversized wheels and tires. With the calibrated Roush supercharger system, those figures jumped to 414.74 hp and 369.78 respectively. Accounting for an easy 20 percent drivetrain loss, the F-150 is putting darn near exactly 515 hp through the crank as advertised.

21. Of course, the dyno is where we tell the tale. The 5.0L managed to put down 314.01 hp and 330.21 lb-ft of torque in stock form on our oversized wheels and tires. With the calibrated Roush supercharger system, those figures jumped to 414.74 hp and 369.78 respectively. Accounting for an easy 20 percent drivetrain loss, the F-150 is putting darn near exactly 515 hp through the crank as advertised.